Issue N22, 2007
June 7, 2007
U.S. House of Representatives to Discuss UIGEA
At the time of going to press, the United States’ House of Representatives is due to meet to discuss the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act on Friday. The purpose of the meeting is to reexamine the online gambling industry in the country, which was practically outlawed with the passing of the UIGEA in 2006. The House Financial Services Committee said that the UIGEA would be discussed and alternatives sought to see whether it was feasible to monitor and regulate the internet gambling industry, while – at the same time – protect the interests of financial institutions in the country. Many politicians back this move and have expressed their support for a regulated online gambling industry.
Online Gambling Giants Initiate Talks with U.S. DOJ
This week, two major online casino companies announced that they were initiating talks with the U.S. Department of Justice in an attempt to come to an agreement regarding their stance over the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. On Monday, PartyGaming announced that it was already in the process of discussions with the DOJ, at the company’s own initiative. This is thought to have come by after the U.S. cracked down on other online gambling companies such as BetONSPORTS. It was too early to assess the outcome of these discussions, a PartyGaming spokesman said.
Another company to follow PartyGaming’s lead is 888.com, which also sought talks with the Department of Justice. The company is being counseled by the legal practice, Freshfields that is also counseling PartyGaming. This could provide an explanation why both companies took the same steps by initiating talks before they were approached first by the DOJ. The UIGEA was responsible for many online gambling companies to close their operations to U.S. gamblers, including giants such as PartyGaming and 888.com.
Google Changes Internet Gambling Advertising Policy
It was recently reported that two major internet search engines, Google and Yahoo! would be banning advertisements on U.K pay-to-play online gambling websites. However, Google has taken this policy one step further. Until recently, advertisements were allowed to run on free-to-play gambling sites, but – effective immediately – Google will also be stopping these types of advertisements. All gambling sites, whether money is required or not, will therefore be out of bounds for advertising.
A statement released this week said: “Google has always prohibited the advertising of things like bingo, poker and online casinos. However having looked at this issue very carefully and considered the views of our users, we have decided to extend our policy. We will no longer take ads for sites that promote gambling related content or gambling tutorials or whose primary purpose is `playing for fun', gambling or casino games of skill.”
It is predicted that Yahoo! will have no choice but to follow suit with this new policy. One wonders how long it will take for MSN – the last remaining search engine to allow advertising for play-to-pay online gambling – to crack under the pressure and follow suit.
Is Nicole Richie Pregnant? Odds Say She is!
Online sportsbooks sites are abounding with rumors that Nicole Ritchie, the adopted daughter of the popular singer, Lionel Richie is pregnant with her first child. The popular online sports book, USDBET is one of the sites offering bets on whether Richie is pregnant or not and has reported that money was coming in on the YES vote at 2:1.
Popular magazines have recently featured photographs of Richie with a baby bump on her usually slight frame, and have quoted sources saying that the actress has undergone blood tests and adopted a healthy diet in anticipation of the baby’s birth. And will there be odds on the child’s father? The obvious choice is Richie’s current beau, the frontman for Good Charlotte, Joel Madden.
World Series of Poker Site gets a Face Lift
In anticipation of the most exciting annual poker event to take place in the industry, the World Series of Poker (WSOP), the organizers of the series’ official website have announced an exciting upgrade project. Harrah’s Entertainment, the company behind the WSOP site, said that the website had been overhauled to include a list of thrilling new features which would benefit the average online poker player in time for the 2007 live event.
The WSOP bracelet event final tables began on June 6th, and poker players can now view live streaming video coverage of these events on the site. Getting news on WSOP has never been easier using the new site, and players get to enjoy a range of other features such as live floor updates and chips counts, and indulge in player blogs and chats.
A spokesman for the media company that is providing the live coverage on the site commented: “We believe this unprecedented coverage will expose many more people to the drama and excitement that is The World Series of Poker”.